Potential for GPC-based laser direct writing

Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) is an efficient light shaping method for generating speckle-free contiguous distributions useful in diverse applications such as static beam shaping, optical manipulation or for two-photon excitation in optogenetics. GPC increases the utilization of typical Gaussian lasers for such applications by using phase modulation as opposed to amplitude truncating masks. Here, we explore GPC’s potential for increasing the yield of micropscopic 3D printing also known as direct laser writing. Many light based additive manufacturing techniques, adopt a point scanning approach which uses up a lot of time and is prone to roughness in the output. A high-speed layer based approach based on GPC may boost the printing speeds by 10x to 100x, making microscopic 3D printing more practical for industry and manufacture. Such an increase in printing speed would extend its use out of research, and potentially allow advanced lab-produced components in everyday consumer products.